Parking meter pole retrofit adaptor

ABSTRACT

A pole retrofit adaptor includes a flange, a base segment and a distal or end segment. The base segment and distal end segment intersect along a plane forming an oblique angle with respect to the horizontal plane. The segments can be inserted into an internal diameter of an existing pole that is cut off near the ground. A fastener such as a draw bolt extends through the flange and both segments. Tightening the draw bolt causes the distal end segment to laterally displace relative to the base segment, which locks the adaptor into the inner diameter of the existing pole segment. A pole can be mounted atop the flange of the adaptor. A plurality of threaded studs can be provided to the flange for facilitating securing of the pole.

PRIORITY

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/301,751 filed on Mar. 1, 2016, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to poles for mounting parkingmeters and similar devices.

BACKGROUND

There is a need to mount parking meters at a given height above theground to facilitate the ease of use by users. Typically a parking meteris mounted on a pole. The pole is simply a length of hollow steel metaltube. The tube is typically sunk into a recess formed in the concretewhile it is still wet so that the hardened concrete retains the pole inplace. Alternatively, a bottom mounting flange can be secured to thepole at the bottom end thereof, and the flange is bolted to boltsprotruding from the cement slab.

Retrofitting a new or replacement parking meter pole presents thedifficulty and expense of digging up the old pole from the concrete aswell as replacing the concrete once the new pole is installed. Thus,there is a need for an improved retrofit pole mount, mounting system andmethod of adapting a parking meter mounting pole to an existinginstallation.

SUMMARY

Disclosed is a unique pole retrofit adaptor for parking meter poles andthe like. The adaptor can take many forms for different applicationsdepending on what is being mounted and what the adapter is going into.For example, the pole existing in the ground can be round, square,rectangular, etc. in cross-section. The adapter usescorrespondingly-shaped tubing (e.g., round, square, rectangular, etc.)but with a smaller diameter (or width) so that the tube fits snug insideof the inner diameter of the existing pole.

The adaptor can comprise a base segment and a distal or end segment thatintersect along a plane in the range of 15 to 60 degrees from thehorizontal. The distal end piece includes an end plate with a nutattached. A draw bolt extends through both segments. A flange isdisposed at an opposing proximal end of the base segment and the drawbolt head can be accessed from that end. Tightening the draw bolt causesthe distal end segment to laterally displace relative to the basesegment, which locks the adaptor into the inner diameter of the existingpole segment fastened to the ground.

The old pole is cut off at the ground level prior to installing theadaptor.

The upward facing flange of the adaptor can be configured to receiveupward-facing studs, or can have a plurality of bolt holes, so that thenew meter pole can be mounted.

The adaptor can be used to vertically straighten the alignment of a newpole that is being mounted in an existing pole segment that was notsatisfactorily close to being within the vertical plane or that wasdisposed in ground that was not in the horizontal plane.

One suitable pole that can be mounted with the disclosed adaptor isdisclosed in U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2015/0294526, which is herebyincorporated herein in its entirety as part of the present application.The present adaptor and the pole disclosed in said incorporated patentpublication together can form a pole system to which signs, parkingmeters, lights, booms, flags, cameras, and any other pole-mounted itemcan be mounted.

The disclosure includes a pole mounting adaptor device. A flange definesan upper side and a lower side. A base portion defines an upper endjoined to the lower side of the flange and a distal end opposite theupper end. A distal end section defines a proximal end contacting thedistal end of the base portion and a remote end opposite the proximalend. A bolt extends completely though the flange and base portion, andengages the remote end of the distal end section. The distal end of thebase portion and the proximal end of the distal end section each definea planar surface oriented at an oblique angle with respect to the bottomside of the flange. The oblique angle can be in a range of 15 to 60degrees.

The bolt can engage the remote end of the distal end section by way of athreaded nut provided to the remote end of the distal end section. Thebolt can comprise a head and a threaded body portion. A washer can bedisposed between the head of the bolt and the upper side of the flange.

The upper end of the base portion can be rigidly secured to the flange,such as by welding.

A plurality of threaded studs can extend proximally from the upper sideof the flange.

The base portion and distal end section can each have the same outerdiameter dimension. The flange can define a diameter that is larger thanthe diameters of both of the base portion and the distal end section.The base portion and the distal end section can have an inner diameterdimension that is larger than an outer diameter dimension of theelongated body portion of the bolt.

The distal end section offsets laterally as the bolt draws the distalend section towards the flange.

The disclosure also includes a pole mount system. The distal end of thebase portion and the proximal end of the distal end section each canintersect along a plane offset from a horizontal plane such that thedistal end section offsets laterally as the bolt draws the distal endsection towards the flange. A new pole can be secured to the flange. Themeans for securing the new pole can include a plurality of threadedstuds secured to the flange which extend through a base plate of thepole.

The disclosure also includes a method of retrofitting a pole to anexisting pole section. The old or existing pole is cut off adjacent toground level. A distal end section and a base portion of an adaptor areboth inserted into an internal diameter of the existing pole until aflange of the adaptor contacts either the ground or an upper end of theexisting pole, after the existing pole is cut off. The distal endsection is drawn towards the flange to offset the distal end sectionlaterally with respect to the base portion until the adaptor is securedwithin the inner diameter of the existing pole. A new pole can bedisposed atop the flange and secured to the flange.

A plurality of washers can be disposed over one of a plurality ofthreaded studs secured in the flange before disposing the new pole atopthe flange in order to straighten the new pole with respect to avertical plane.

Tightening a bolt can cause the distal end section to move towards theflange while it slides against the base portion in a plane forming anoblique angle with respect to a horizontal plane. The flange can berestrained from rotating while the distal end section is drawn towardsthe flange.

The above summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention,or describe each embodiment, aspect, implementation, feature oradvantage of the invention. The detailed technology and preferredembodiments for the subject invention are described in the followingparagraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in thisfield to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It isunderstood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to becommented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specifiedcombinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adaptor for a pole system accordingto certain example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the adaptor for a pole system as shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the adaptor for a pole system asshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the adaptor for a pole system takenalong line C-C in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional of a pole mounting system according tocertain example embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a view of detail A indicated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of an adaptor fastened to anexisting pole base according to certain example embodiments.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular example embodiments described. On the contrary, the inventionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following descriptions, the present invention will be explainedwith reference to various exemplary embodiments. Nevertheless, theseembodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to anyspecific example, environment, application, or particular implementationdescribed herein. Therefore, descriptions of these example embodimentsare only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit thepresent invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-7 generally and FIGS. 1-4 in particular, the poleadapter 100 generally comprises a distal end portion 102, a base portion104 and a flange or disc portion 106.

The distal end section or portion 102 defines a tubular structure thathas a threaded end 103 at a distal-most or remote end thereof. Thethreads can be provided by securing a nut to the distal end or bytapping threads into the distal end portion 102. The distal end portion102 defines a hollow inner channel 105 extending through the body. Theproximal end 107 defines a planar surface that is offset from thehorizontal by a value in the range of 15-60 degrees.

The base portion 104 also defines a tubular structure. The distal-mostend 109 defines a plane that is offset from the horizontal by the samevalue as the proximal end 107 of the distal end portion 102. Theproximal end 111 of the base portion is affixed to the flange 106.

The flange 106 is a disc-shape. The base portion 104 is centered andfastened to the flange 106. The center of the flange can receive a basewasher 113 to cover a center opening in the flange and define a centerdiameter though which a draw bolt 110 can extend through the flange andcontinue to extend distally into the distal portion 102. As shown, thebase washer 113 surrounds the proximal end 111 of the base portion 104so that the bolt head 115 actually abuts the proximal end 111 of thebase portion 104.

The base washer 113 can be welded to the to the flange to make itintegral with the flange.

A second washer 112 can be provided over the bolt 110 on top of the basewasher 113 (or the top side of the flange 106 if no base washer is used)to ensure that the bolt head 115 does not slip through the aperture inthe base washer provided to the flange or proximal end 111 of the baseportion 104.

The flange 106 can include a plurality of apertures configured to have apole mounted thereto, including threaded holes for receiving mountingstuds 108.

The flange 106 can also have a slot 119 defined radially therein toprovide clearance for power, communication and/or other cables andconduits to pass through the adaptor to reach the new pole assemblydisposed atop the flange 106.

A draw bolt 110 is disposed through the assembly of the base portion104, distal portion 102 and flange 106 preferably so that the bolt'shead 115 is assessable from the proximal side of the flange (i.e.opposite side of the base portion 104).

The inner diameter of the base portion 104 can be slightly larger thanthe diameter of the distal portion 102 so that the draw bolt 110 canmove slightly laterally as the bolt 110 is tightened.

The outer diameters of the base portion 104 and the distal portion 102are preferably approximately the same. The diameters are selected to bejust slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the old pole that theadaptor will fit into.

The outer cross-sectional shape of the distal portion 102 and the baseportion 104 are selected to approximate the inner diameter shape of theold pole that is to be adapted. For example, FIGS. 1-4 show a circularcross section, which is well suited to poles that have a circular crosssection. However some poles have square or rectangular cross sections,for example, so the distal 102 and base portions 104 would thenpreferably have a respective square or rectangular cross section toachieve a secure fit. The invention, therefore, is not limited tospecific outer cross-sectional shapes of distal portion and base portionexcept where specifically claimed in a given claim.

FIG. 4 shows the bolt 110 tightened to cause the distal portion 102 tooffset or move horizontally or laterally with respect to the baseportion 104 as the distal portion 102 moves proximally towards theflange 106. This is also shown in FIGS. 5-7. The lateral movement of thedistal portion 102 with respect to the base portion 104 is provided bythe respective angled surfaces 107, 109 of the distal 102 and base 104portions sliding across one another as the distal portion 102 movesproximally towards the flange 106 when the bolt 110 is tightened. Thelateral offset of these components causes the effective width of theportions of the adaptor 100 disposed inside of the inner diameter of theold pipe to increase. The effective diameter is increased until theadaptor becomes locked into the inner bore of the old pipe such as isshown in FIGS. 5-7.

FIGS. 6-7 illustrate a situation where the old pole is not aligned withthe vertical plane. This can be corrected at least somewhat by placing aplurality of washers 114 on one or more of the studs 108 before securingthe base plate 118 of the pole system to the studs 108. This allows thenew pole 120 to be generally vertically oriented even when the old polebase is not vertically oriented.

FIG. 7 illustrates a situation where no alignment of the new pole isnecessary.

Referring to FIGS. 6-7, in use, the old pipe is cut or sawed off asclose as possible to level with the cement or other surface throughwhich the old pole is mounted. Then the remaining old pipe extendingabove the cement or surface is ground down until it is completely flushwith the top plane of the cement/surface. Any concrete or other materialinside of the bore of the old pipe is removed at least to the depth thatthe adaptor will extend into the bore of the old pipe.

The adaptor 100 is assembled with the draw bolt 110 slightly loosened sothat the distal end 102 portion is axially aligned with the base portion104. Then the distal 102 and base 104 portions of the adaptor 100 areinserted into the inner diameter or bore of the old pipe such that thedistal side 117 of the flange 106 rests flush on the ground. Then thedraw bolt 110 is tightened to cause the distal portion 102 to offsetwith respect to the base portion 104 until the adaptor becomes securedwithin the old pole. Preferably a pry bar is engaged across two of theupwardly extending studs 108 while the bolt 110 is tightened so that theact of tightening does not spin the adaptor 100 inside of the bore. Thebolt 110 is tightened to a desired torque (e.g. 35 ft-lbs). The upwardlyextending pole system 120 is then mounted to the flange as discussed inU.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2015/0294526. Of course, other types of polesystems can be attached to the flange.

The old pole can be secured into the ground in any manner; it need notbe cemented in place.

The adaptor 100 allows the new pole 120 to be mounted in the location ofthe existing old pole without drilling, cutting or removing thesidewalk, pavement or digging up dirt to remove the old pole first. Thissaves time and cost of the installation/replacement operation. Theadaptor 100 can be mounted anywhere where there is an existing tube orpole in the ground, cemented or not.

The flange 106 provides predetermined or non-predetermined studs 108,taped holes or bolt holes (drilled at time of install), so that there isno additional mounting required.

The adaptor 100 can be used to mount many different types of things,including parking meters on poles, street signs, lights, cameras, etc.

The various components of the adaptor can be formed from any suitablerigid material, such as metal, fiber glass, plastics, etc. In oneexample, the parts are formed of steel. The parts can be plated, coatedor painted as is known in the art for various functional and aestheticreasons. For example coated parts are less vulnerable to corrosion andoxidization (e.g., rust).

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that theinvention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. It will bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that manymodifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, suchscope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claimsso as to encompass all equivalent structures and products. Moreover,features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed andmatched (even if such combination is not explicitly described herein)without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pole mounting adaptor device, comprising: aflange defining an upper side and a lower side; a base portion definingan upper end joined to the lower side of the flange and a distal endopposite the upper end; a distal end section defining a proximal endcontacting the distal end of the base portion and a remote end oppositethe proximal end; and a bolt extending completely though the flange andbase portion, and engaging the remote end of the distal end section,wherein the distal end of the base portion and the proximal end of thedistal end section each define a planar surface oriented at an obliqueangle with respect to the bottom side of the flange.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the bolt engages the remote end of the distal endsection by way of a threaded nut provided to the remote end of thedistal end section.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the bolt comprisesa head and a threaded body portion, the device further comprising awasher disposed between the head of the bolt and the upper side of theflange.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the upper end of the baseportion is rigidly secured to the flange.
 5. The device of claim 1,wherein the upper end of the base portion is welded to the flange. 6.The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of threaded studsextending proximally from the upper side of the flange.
 7. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the base portion and distal end section each have asame outer diameter dimension.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein theflange defines a diameter that is larger than a diameter of each of thebase portion and the distal end section.
 9. The device of claim 1,wherein the bolt defines a head portion and an elongated body portion,and wherein each of the base portion and distal end section have aninner diameter dimension that is larger than an outer diameter dimensionof the elongated body portion of the bolt.
 10. The device of claim 1,wherein the distal end section offsets laterally as the bolt draws thedistal end section towards the flange.
 11. The device of claim 1,wherein the oblique angle is in a range of 15 to 60 degrees.
 12. A polemount system, comprising: a flange defining an upper side and a lowerside; a base portion defining an upper end joined to the lower side ofthe flange and a distal end opposite the upper end; a distal end sectiondefining a proximal end contacting the distal end of the base portionand a remote end opposite the proximal end; and a bolt extendingcompletely through the flange and base portion, and engaging the remoteend of the distal end section, wherein the distal end of the baseportion and the proximal end of the distal end section each intersectalong a plane offset from a horizontal plane such that the distal endsection offsets laterally as the bolt draws the distal end sectiontowards the flange.
 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising apole secured to the flange.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the poleis secured to the flange via a plurality of threaded studs secured tothe flange which extend through a base plate of the pole.
 15. The systemof claim 12, wherein each of the base portion and distal end sectiondefine a circular cross-sectional outer shape.
 16. A method ofretrofitting a pole to an existing pole section, the method comprising:cutting off the existing pole adjacent to ground level; inserting adistal end section and a base portion of an adaptor into an internaldiameter of the existing pole until a flange of the adaptor contacts atleast one of the ground or an upper end of the existing pole after theexisting pole is cut off; drawing the distal end section towards theflange to offset the distal end section laterally with respect to thebase portion until the adaptor is secured within the inner diameter ofthe existing pole.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingdisposing a new pole atop the flange and securing the pole to theflange.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising disposing aplurality of washers over one of a plurality of threaded studs securedin the flange before disposing the new pole atop the flange in order tostraighten the new pole with respect to a vertical plane.
 19. The methodof claim 16, further comprising tightening a bolt to cause the distalend section to move towards the flange while sliding against the baseportion in a plane forming an oblique angle with respect to a horizontalplane.
 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising restraining theflange from rotating while the distal end section is drawn towards theflange.